Mesh fence material and method for making thereof

ABSTRACT

A method for producing a fencing material including the steps of: providing a border material having an interior surface; providing a mesh material having a front and a back; treating the interior surface of the border material to produce a tacky border material surface; placing a portion of the front and/or the back of the mesh material against the tacky border material surface; pressing the tacky border material surface and the mesh material together; and thermally bonding at least some portion of the front and the back of the mesh material with the interior surface of the border material. The border material being a polyvinyl chloride, the mesh being a polyvinyl chloride material and/or a vinyl coated material.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a divisional application based upon U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/978,777, entitled “MESH FENCE MATERIAL AND METHOD FOR MAKINGTHEREOF”, filed Dec. 22, 2015, which is incorporated herein byreference. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/978,777 is anon-provisional application based upon U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/095,329, entitled “MESH FENCE MATERIAL ANDMETHOD FOR MAKING THEREOF”, filed Dec. 22, 2014, which is incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to fence materials, and, moreparticularly, to mesh fence materials.

2. Description of the Related Art

Safety pool fences, which can be made of mesh, are designed to surrounda pool area and prevent young children, debris and animals from enteringthe pool area. The safety pool fence can be designed to be removable, orcan be intended as a fixture in the ground.

Current safety pool fence products consist of a series of poles withmaterial stretched between the pools. The safety pool fences can assumeheights of between 4 and 5 feet. The safety pool fence typicallyconsists of several sections, with each section typically being between10 to 15 feet long and linked together to form the complete fence. Thematerial stretched between the poles is made from mesh fabric with aborder attached to the mesh by stitching. The border material can be avariety of materials including cloth, synthetic webbing, and vinyl.

The border material is an important component of a safety pool fence andif the material undergoes excessive stretching/contracting or is poorlyattached to the mesh fabric, it can cause the fence to have anunappealing appearance or become unsafe. Specifically, excessivestretching or contracting of the border can cause the fence to becomeunsafe by causing the fence gate to become misaligned and not closeproperly, or fail to serve as a self-latching gate. The border can alsocause a safety problem if not properly attached because the fence wouldbecome loose and easier for a young child to climb. Known bordermaterials are attached to the mesh fabric using stitching, with eithertwo or three stitches running the full length of the mesh webbing.Stitching can miss parts of the mesh material and is prone to weatheringby the sun, which can cause failure of the stitching and bordermaterial.

What is needed in the art is an improved fence material that is lessprone to failure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a fencing material with a border materialthat is bonded to a mesh material.

The invention in one form is directed to a fencing material including aborder material comprising a first polymer and having an interiorsurface; and a mesh material having a front and a back, a portion of atleast one of the front and the back being bonded to the interior surfaceof the border material.

The invention in another form is directed to a fence including at leasttwo fencing poles; and a fencing material connected to the at least twofencing poles. The fencing material includes a border materialcomprising a first polymer and having an interior surface; and a meshmaterial having a front and a back, a portion of at least one of thefront and the back being bonded to the interior surface of the bordermaterial.

The invention in yet another form is directed to a method for producinga fencing material including the steps of: providing a border materialhaving an interior surface; providing a mesh material having a front anda back; treating the interior surface of the border material to producea tacky border material surface; placing a portion of the front and/orthe back of the mesh material against the tacky border material surface;pressing the tacky border material surface and the mesh materialtogether; and thermally bonding at least some portion of the front andthe back of the mesh material with the interior surface of the bordermaterial. The border material being a polyvinyl chloride, the mesh beinga polyvinyl chloride material and/or a vinyl coated material.

An advantage of the present invention is the fencing material is lessprone to the mesh separating from the border material than sewnmaterials.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention,and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and theinvention will be better understood by reference to the followingdescription of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a fencing materialformed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a fence formedaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top view of an embodiment of a fencing material beingmanufactured according to the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is cross-sectional view of the fencing material shown as beingmanufactured in FIG. 3 taken along line 4-4.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views. The exemplifications set out hereinillustrate embodiments of the invention and such exemplifications arenot to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in anymanner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, anembodiment of a fencing material 10 formed according to the presentinvention is shown which generally includes a border material 12comprising a polymer material, such as vinyl, and a mesh material 14bonded to the border material 12. As can be seen, the fencing material10 can have border material 12 bonded to two opposite edges of the meshmaterial 14, such as a top edge 16 and a bottom edge 18 of the meshmaterial 14. As used herein, the top edge 16 and bottom edge 18 of themesh material 14 refer to the edges of the mesh material 14 that extendalong a length of the mesh material 14, and are only used to describerelative orientations of the mesh material 14. It should be appreciatedthat the border material 12 can also be bonded to lateral edges 20 ofthe mesh material 14 in addition to or in place of the top edge 16 andbottom edge 18.

The border material 12 can be formed of a vinyl, such as polyvinylchloride (PVC), or other polymers that can form a bond to the meshmaterial 14, as described further herein. If the border material 12 isvinyl, the vinyl can have a weight 10 to 20 ounces per square yard andbe laminated or coated. The thickness and width of the border material12 can be altered to give desired aesthetic and functionalcharacteristics to the fencing material 10, with exemplary widths of theborder material 12 being between 1 and 4 inches. While shown as beingsubstantially solid with possible microscopic pores formed therein, theborder material 12 can also be formed to have macroscopic openingsformed therein to accommodate insertion of objects through the bordermaterial 12, such as mounting screws 22 shown in FIG. 2. The bordermaterial 12 shown in FIG. 1 can be folded over the edges 16, 18 of themesh material 14 prior to bonding so the border material 12 sandwiches afront 24 of the mesh material 14 and a back 26 of the mesh material 14,which are illustrated in FIG. 4, inside the border material 12. In thissense, the border material 12 can completely envelop portions of thefront 24 and back 26 of the mesh material 14 adjacent the top edge 16and bottom edge 18 to produce a strong bond between the mesh material 14and the border material 12.

The mesh material 14, on the other hand, can be formed as a lattice gridhaving multiple horizontal threads 28 interlaced with multiple verticalthreads 30. It should be appreciated that while the mesh material 14 isdescribed as having threads 28 and 30, which imply cloth or polymerconstruction, the “threads” 28 and 30 of the mesh material 14 can beformed of any desired material to produce the mesh such as polymer,cloth, metal, etc. If the mesh material 14 is formed of a polymer, thechosen polymer can be the same or a different polymer from the polymerforming the border material 12. The mesh material 14 can be, forexample, formed of PVC or be a non-vinyl material coated with vinyl. Thespacing and shapes formed between adjacent threads 28 and 30 can also bealtered, as desired, to give many different varieties of mesh patternsfor the mesh material 14 other than lattice grids. The mesh material 14may have, for example, a pattern with relatively large distances betweenadjacent threads 28 and 30 to allow a large amount of light to passthrough and allow a passerby to see through the mesh material 14. Inother cases, the mesh material 14 may have relatively small distancesbetween adjacent threads 28 and 30 to allow less light through andprovide privacy. Exemplary distances between adjacent threads 28 and 30can be between 1/32 and ½ inches.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an embodiment of a fence 40 according to thepresent invention is shown that generally includes two or more fencingpoles 42 connected by the fencing material 10 shown in FIG. 1 andpreviously described. As can be seen, the fencing material 10 isconnected to each pole 42 by a joining plate 44 that is attached to thepoles 42 by the aforementioned mounting screws 22, which can also extendthrough the border material 12 of the fencing material 10 to help holdthe fencing material 10 in place and taut. The fence 40 can be formed tohave a clearance between bottoms 46 of the poles 42 and the bottom edge18 of the mesh material 14 surrounded by the border material 12 so thebottoms 46 of the poles 42 can be drilled into the ground, but theclearance is optional and may not always be desired. While not shown,the fence 40 can also have a gate or other type of construction thatallows access past the fence 40 without having to get over or under thefencing material 10 and poles 42.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-4, an embodiment of a method of producing thefencing material 10 according to the present invention is shown. As canbe seen, the fencing material 10 is being produced in a continuousmanufacturing process. The border material 12 can be fed through a guide48 which will fold the border material 12 into a folded border material,shown in FIG. 4, of roughly two equal halves. Alternatively, the bordermaterial 12 can be formed by two strips of border material placedadjacent to or abutting one another rather than by folding a singlepiece of border material. As the border material 12 is folded, aninterior surface 50 of the border material 12 is established which aportion of the mesh material 14, such as the top edge 16 or bottom edge18, can be placed against.

A treatment unit 52, shown schematically as a rectangle in FIGS. 3 and4, can treat the border material 12 and/or the mesh material 14 to makethe interior surface 50 of the border material 12 a tacky bordermaterial surface. The treatment unit 52 can be, for example, a heatingunit that directs heated gas, represented by wavy lines 54, toward theinterior surface 50 of the border material 12 and mesh material 14 toheat the interior surface 50 and/or the mesh material 14 to a tackingtemperature where the border material 12 and/or mesh material 14 issticky due to being in a partially or completely melted state. Theheated gas 54 can be, for example, ambient air. Optionally, the heatedair 54 can be dehumidified to remove moisture which can increase thetemperature of the heated air 54 needed to treat the materials 12, 14and slow down the production rate of the fencing material 10. Thetemperature of the heated air 54 can be altered based on the used bordermaterial 12 and/or mesh material 14, as well as the exposure time of thematerials 12 and 14 to the heated air 54. For example, a lower heatedair temperature may be desired to slowly raise the temperature of thematerials 12 and 14 over a longer exposure time as opposed to a higherheated air temperature over a short exposure time. An example heated airtemperature may be between 800 to 1600 degrees Fahrenheit, such as 1200degrees Fahrenheit, with an exposure time of 2 to 15 seconds in order toget the border material 12 and/or the mesh material 14 tacky for bondingwhen the border material 12 is a vinyl material. It should beappreciated that if a lower temperature is used to make the materials12, 14 tacky, the exposure time should be increased, and vice versa.Further, the temperature of the heated air and exposure time can varybased on the daily temperature and humidity of the manufacturingfacility, as well as the thickness and composition of the materials 12,14. After the border material 12 and/or mesh material 14 is tacky, thematerials 12 and 14 can be thermally bonded together.

Although the treatment unit 52 is described as a heating unit which usesheated gas to heat the materials 12 and 14, the treatment unit can alsouse other heating methods such as emitting microwaves or infrared light.Alternatively, the treatment unit 52 can be a chemical sprayer whichsprays an adhesive or melting agent on the materials 12 and 14 to makethe interior surface 50 of the border material 12 a tacky bordermaterial surface. The adhesive can be an industrial adhesive compound,such as cyanoacrylates or epoxy, and the melting agent can be a heatedliquid. The border material 12 and/or mesh material 14 can also be fedtoward the chemical sprayer in an uncured state, with the chemicalsprayer applying a curing catalyst to the materials 12 and 14 to allowone or both materials 12, 14 to cure and bond. It should therefore beappreciated that many different types of treatment units 52 can be usedto treat the border material 12 and/or mesh material 14 for bonding.

After the interior surface 50 of the border material 12 has been made atacky border material surface, the tacky border material surface ispressed into the mesh material 12 to form the fencing material 10. Oneor more rollers 56, 58 can be used to press the tacky border materialsurface into the mesh material 14, bonding the tacky border materialsurface to the mesh material 12. The border material 12 and meshmaterial 14 can be pulled through the rollers 56 and 58 through frictionbetween the rollers 56 and 58 and the border material 12, or a conveyor(not shown) can move the border material 12 and mesh material 14 pastthe guide 48 to the rollers 56, 58. When the border material 12 isfolded so the mesh material 14 is placed between two halves of theborder material 12, the rollers 56 and 58 can press the halves of theborder material 12 together so that one half of the border material 12is bonded to the front 24 of the mesh material 14 and the other half ofthe border material 12 is bonded to the back 26 of the mesh material 14,sandwiching the mesh material 14 in the folded border material 12. Thetwo halves of the border material 12 will also be pressed together, dueto spacing between threads of the mesh material 14, to form a tight bondbetween the border material 12 and the mesh material 14. In this sense,the mesh material 14 is not just bonded to the border material 12, butalso held between border material 12 bonded to itself which resides inthe spacing formed in the mesh material 14, forming a fencing material10 with a strong, durable bond between the border material 12 and meshmaterial 14.

The rollers 56 and 58 can both press on the border material 12 and meshmaterial 14 with an equivalent pressing pressure, or rollers 56 and 58can press on the border material 12 and mesh material 14 with differentpressing pressures. For example, the first roller 56 that presses on theborder material 12 and mesh material 14 can press down with a firstpressing pressure which is relatively low, while the second roller 58presses on the border material 12 and mesh material 14 with a secondpressing pressure which is higher or lower than the first pressingpressure. More than two rollers 56, 58 can also be utilized to press theborder material 12 and mesh material 14 together, with each successiveroller increasing or decreasing in pressing pressure. The pressingpressure(s) applied by the rollers 56, 58 will vary depending on thematerial composition and thickness, with a wide range of pressures beingsuitable to bond the border material 12 and mesh material 14 together.The first roller 56 can rotate with a first rotational speed and thesecond roller 58 can rotate with a second rotational speed that ishigher than the first rotational speed in order to stretch the materials12, 14 as the materials 12, 14 advance from the first roller 56 to thesecond roller 58, reducing wrinkling of the fencing material 10 in theprocess.

While FIGS. 3 and 4 only show one edge of the fencing material 10 havingthe border material 12 bonded to the mesh material 14, the process usedto bond the border material 12 to the mesh material 14 cansimultaneously occur at the opposite edge of the mesh material 14 ifboth the top edge 16 and bottom edge 18 of the mesh material 14 are tobe bonded to the border material 12. Alternatively, each edge 16, 18 canbe bonded to the border material 12 separately, or only one edge 16 or18 may be bonded to the border material 12.

While this invention has been described with respect to at least oneembodiment, the present invention can be further modified within thespirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is thereforeintended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the inventionusing its general principles. Further, this application is intended tocover such departures from the present disclosure as come within knownor customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains andwhich fall within the limits of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for producing a fencing material,comprising the steps of: providing a border material having an interiorsurface; providing a mesh material having a front and a back; treatingsaid interior surface of said border material to produce a tacky bordermaterial surface; placing a portion of at least one of said front andsaid back of said mesh material against said tacky border materialsurface; pressing said tacky border material surface and said meshmaterial together; and thermally bonding at least some portion of saidfront and said back of said mesh material with said interior surface ofsaid border material, said border material being a polyvinyl chloride,said mesh is one of a polyvinyl chloride material and a vinyl coatedmaterial.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said treating stepcomprises heating said interior surface of said border material to atacking temperature.
 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein saidtreating step comprises heating said border material and said meshmaterial simultaneously.
 4. The method according to claim 1, whereinsaid pressing step is performed by at least one roller.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 4, wherein said pressing step is performed by a pairof rollers.
 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein one of saidrollers presses said at least one tacky border material and said meshmaterial together with a first pressure and the other of said rollerspresses said at least one tacky border material and said mesh materialtogether with a second pressure which is greater than said firstpressure.